Machine for slitting fabrics.



. No. 697,985. Patented Apr. 22, I902.

W. B. CONRAD &. LA. CAMEBOfl. MACHINE FOR SLITTING FABRICS.

(Appkicatiop filed June 29, 1901.)

(No Model.) a Sheets-Shee l.

ATTORNEY No. 697,985. Patented A| 1rv."22, I902. W. B. CONRAD & J. A;CAMERON.

MACHiNE FOR-SLITTING FABRICS.

(Application filed Tum-1 29, 1901.)

(N MndeI.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WITNESSES:

INVENTORS u M ATTORNEY m: mam: PETERS o0. movaumov. wAsnmdwu. n. c.

No. 697,985. Patented Apr. 22, I902.

- W. B. CONRAD 8. J. A. CAMERON.

MACHINE FOR SLITTING FABRICS.

(Application filed June 29, 1901.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

INVENTORS. 73, a. r! BY ALL ATTORNEY I: ll 0 fi 5 N E I k w a m. W #w. xv6 9w N 1 mm \m QM. w

(No Model.)

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UNTTTD STATES PATENT @TTTCE.

WILLIAM B. CONRAD, OF NYACK, AND JAMES A. CAMERON, OF BROOK- LYN, NEWYORK.

MACHINE FOR SLITTING FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 697,985, dated April22, 1902 Application filed June 29, 1901.

T aZZ whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that we, WILLIAM B. CONRAD, residing at Nyack, in the countyof Rockland, and JAMES A. OAMERON,residiugat Brooklyn, in the county ofKings, State of New York, citizens of the United States, have jointlyinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines forSlittingFabrics, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in machines for slitting fabricsin a lengthwise direction, so that afabric feeding from a roll or boltmay be passed through the machine and during its travel therethroughbe'subdivided lengthwise into proper widths, the latter being wound intothe form of rolls.

We have utilized this invention in the production of suitable widths offabric for the manufacture of hemstitched handkerchiefs, the fabric fedthrough the machine being slit into widths of suitable dimensions forhandkerchiefs and being thereafter subdivided transversely into blanksor sections for the individual handkerchiefs.

Great difficulty has heretofore been experienced in accurately andeconomically subdividing fabrics into lengths ofsuitable width forhandkerchiefs; and the present invention has for its purpose to providea machine in which by a continuous operation the fabric may beaccurately subdivided in a length wise direction into proper widths foruse in the manufacture of handkerchiefs, the machine being adjustable inits parts to receive fabrics varying in width and also to subdivide suchfabrics intosuch predetermined widths as may be suitable for thepurposes for which they are intended.

The invention and satisfactory means for carrying the same into effectwill be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafterpresented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a top View, partly broken away, of a machine constructed inaccordance with and embodying the invention, the fabric being indicatedby dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly broken away, ofsame. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section through a portion of themachine, taken at one side of the longitudinal center thereof. Fig. 4 isa Serial No. 66,468. (No model.)

detached perspective View of a portion of the machine and illustratesmore particularly the knife by which the subdividing of the fabric iseffected. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section through the machineon the dotted line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectionthrough a portion of the machine on the dotted line 6 6 of Fig. 5, andFig. 7 is an enlarged top view of that portion of the machine moreespecially illustrated in Fig. 6.

In the drawings, 10 designates an elongated table mounted upon suitablelegs 11.

The fabric to be slitted lengthwise while traveling through the machineis designated by the numeral 12, and this fabric will be drawn from areel or belt which maybe conveniently disposed below the table 10. Thefabric to be treated is fed over the roller 13, mounted at the front endof the table 10, and the subdivided portions or widths of said fabricare at the rear end of the machine wound upon rolls 14, mounted upontransverse shafts 15, the latter being supported in suitable standardsor brackets from the table 10. The roller 13 is simply aplain'cylindrical roller supported at the front end of the table 10, andto the front of this roller 13 is secured a guard-rod 16, the latterbeing supported in the outer ends of the arms 17, secured to the sidesof the table 10.

Upon the front portion of the table 10 are provided the pair oflongitudinal guides 18, which serve to take the edges of the fabric 12and guide said fabric into the machine. The guides 18 are secureduponthe transverse followers 19,having dovetail edges and mounted withinthe transverse groove 20 between the metal edgings 21 21, which arebeveled to correspond with the edges of the followers 18, so as to guidesaid followers and hold the guides 18 down upon the upper surface of thetable 10. Each follower 19 at its outer end is formed with the plate 22,which laps over the upper surface of the metal edgings 21 and carriesthe set-screw 23, the purpose of the latter being to secure the followerin any predetermined position to which it may be moved. The guides 18may when the setscrews 23 are loosened be moved laterally toward andfrom one another to suit the width of the fabric 12 to be fed to themachine, and

after the guides18 have been moved to their proper position they may bethere secured by tightening the set-screws 23. The turning inward of theset-screws 23 causes the lower ends of the said screws to press againstthe metal edgings 21 and the followers 19 to bind against the edgings21, the turning inward and downward of the set-screws 23 tending toelevate the followers 19 from between said edgings. The fabric 12,passing between the guides 18, next travels below the pressure roller24, having at its ends the short shafts 25, mounted within followers 26,Fig. 6, disposed within the vertical cylindrical casings 27, containingthe coiled springs 28, which exert a downward pressure against thefollowers 26 and short shafts 25, and thereby yieldingly press theroller 24 against the fabric 12 being fed inward over the table 10. Thetension of the springs 28 within the casings 27 may be regulated at willby means of the followers 29, disposed within the upper end of saidcasings, and the set-screws 30, which engage threaded apertures in theupper ends of the casings 27 and are keyed to the followers 29. Theturning of the screws 30 effects the movement of the followers 29 towardor from the springs 28, and hence it will be obvious that said springs28 may be compressed as much or as little as may be required and inaccordance with the pressure it is desired the roller 24 shall exertagainst the fabric 12.

It is necessary that the roller 24 may be conveniently raised from thetable 10 in order to permit the first entrance of the fabric below saidroller, and for this purpose we provide the sliding arms 31, whose rearends are below the short shafts 25 for said roller 24 and whose frontends are pivotally secured to links 32, which extend downward at theopposite edges of the table 10 and are rigidly secured to the rock-shaft33, the latter being mounted below the table 10 and provided with ahand-lever 34, by which at the proper time the operator may turn saidrock-shaft. When the hand-lever 34 is pushed toward the roller 24, itwill actuate the rock-shaft 33 and links 32 to drive the arms 31 to afurther extent below the short shafts 25 for the roller 24, and sincethe upper surfaces of the arms 31 are inclined said arms when pushedbelow the short shafts 25 will operate as cams or wedges to elevate theroller 24 from contact with the surfaces of the table 10. After thefabric 12 has been suitablyintroduced below the roller 24 the hand-lever34 may be moved toward the front for the purpose of withdrawing theelevated or inclined surfaces of the arms 31 from below the short shafts25 of the roller 24, thereby permitting said roller 24 to descend intocontact with the fabric then below it. The short shafts 25 are equippedwith suitable pulley-wheels 35, by which in connection with the ordinarycharacter of belts the roller 24 may be driven by power, if desired. Theroller 24 is of considerable weight, and while the fabric is passingbelow said roller the latter will act upon the same to smooth andflatten it and prepare it for the action of the slitting-knife, it beingdesirable that all of the creases or other irregularities in the fabricshall be removed before the fabric is slitted lengthwise. The roller 24not only smooths out the fabric, but also serves as a tension device,allowing the fabric to feed outward through the machine, but preventingan undue feed thereof, it being necessary that the fabric be under atension in that part of its length between said roller 24 and therollers 36 and 37, hereinafter referred to, so that the slitting-knifemay have effective action. The invention is not, however, limited to thespecific roller 24 for creating the tension in the fabric.

In the rear of the pressure-roller 24 (or to the right thereof lookingat Figs. 1 and 5) are mounted the feeding-rollers 36 37, between whichthe slitted fabric passes to the rolls 14 14. The roller 36 is mountedin stationary brackets, and while capable of rotatingis not capable ofvertical movement. The roller 37 has the ends of its/shaft 38 extendedthrough slots in the cylindrical casings 39 and above the upper edges ofthe lever-arms 40. The ends of the shaft 38 of the roller 37 correspondexactly with the short shafts 25 of the roller 24, and the cylindricalcasings 39 correspond exactly with the cylindrical casings 27 for theshort shafts 25 of the roller 24, and hence the construction of thecylindrical casings 39 may be fully understood by reference to thecasings 27in Fig. 6. The cylindrical casings 39 will contain coiledsprings corresponding with coiled springs 28 (shown in Fig. 6) forexerting a downward pressure against the shaft of the roller 37, andthese springs may be adjusted as to their tension by means of theadjusting-screws 41. The lever-arms 40, disposed below the ends of theshaft of the roller 37, are for the purpose of conveniently effectingthe raising and lowering of the roller 37 from and toward the roller 36,and the said lever-arms 40 are at their rear ends pivoted to thevertical standards 42, extending upward from the table 10, while thefront ends of the said lever-arms40 rest upon transversely-disposedsliding wedge-arms 43, said wedge-arms 43 being in the shape of bars andhaving at their adjoining ends the sleeves 44, encompassing thetransverse bar 45,which is above the pressure-roller 24 and is securedat its ends to bracket-arms 46, extendinginward toward one another fromthe cylindrical casings 27. The guide-bar 45 is a stationary bar, andthe wedge-arms 43 are adapted to have a horizontal sliding motion forthe purpose, as hereinafter explained, of effecting the raising andlowering of the lever-arms 40 and roller 37. The front ends of theleverarms 40 extend over the wedge-arms 43 and above the ends of the bar45, and the front ends of said lever arms 40 are retained againstlateral displacement by being confined between the upper ends of thecylin- ICC drical casings 27 and the vertical pins 47, secured to thebar 45. The wedge-bars 43 are provided in their upper edges with therecesses 48 to receive the lever-arms 49, which are parallel with oneanother and are pivoted at their rear ends to a stationary transversebar 50, disposed above the roller 37, while at their front ends the saidlever-arms 49 are pivotally connected with a handle-bar 51, by which thesaid arms 49 may be moved in a transverse direction for the purpose ofactuating the wedge-arms 43 and causing said arms to either elevate orpermit the lowering of the lever-arms 40 and upper roller 37. Thewedge-arms 43 have inclined upper surfaces, which when moved in onedirection below the lever-arms 40 will permit said arms to lower, andthus cause the roller 37 to lower upon the fabric 12 then between it andthe roller 36, and when moved in the other direction will operate aswedges or cams to elevate the lever-arms 40 and with said arms theroller 37, the elevation of the roller 37 being to permit of theintroduction between it and the roller 36 of the fabric 12, as well asto stop the feeding action of the machine when desired. In the drawingsthe upper roller 37 is shown as having been elevated from the roller 36,and the ends of the shaft 33 of said roller 37 are supported upon thelever-arms 40, whose front ends are at such time on the higher surfacesof the wedgearms 43. In order to effect the lowering of the roller 37,it is simply necessary for the operator to push the handle-bar 51 towardthe opposite side of the machine from which it is illustrated in Fig. 1,whereby the leverarms 49, being in engagem'ent with the wedgearms 43,will move said wedge-arms below the front ends of the lever-arms 40 andpermit the latter to ride down the inclined upper edges of saidwedge-arms, this having the effect of permitting the lever-arms 40 androller 37 to. lower. The outer ends of the wedge-arms 43 rest upon shortbracket-arms 52, Fig. 7, secured to the cylindrical casings 27, while atthe other or adjoining ends the wedge-arms 43 are supported and guidedby the stationary transverse bar 45.

The roller 36 is in rear of the pressureroller 34, and intermediate therollers 24 and 36 is provided the sheet-metal plate53, over which thefabric 12 will travel and which is made concave, as shown in Fig. 3, sothat during the travel of the fabric 12 the latter will not touchagainst the middle portions of said plate, but there will be formedbetween the lower surface of the fabric and the upper surface of theplate 53 an adequate space for permitting the successful operation ofthe knife 54 in slitting the fabric lengthwise. The fabric 12 will beunder a tension intermediate the rollers 24 and 36 suflicient to keepthe fabric taut and above the plate 53. The knife 54 is a longitudinalblade secured to a sleeve 55, mounted upon a transverse bar 56,extending across the machine and supported in the ends of the arms 57,fastened to the opposite sides of the machine. The sleeve 55 isadjustable upon the bar 56 and may be secured in any predeterminedposition by means of a set-screw 58. The knife 54 is secured within aslot in the lower end of the sleeve 55 by means of a set-screw 59. Inthe present instance we only illustrate one knife 54 for slitting thefabric 12; but it is to be understoodthat any desired number ofknives'54 may be made use of at the same time in accordance with thenumber of widths into which it may be desired to slit the main width offabric 12. The relation of the knife 54 to the fabric 12 during theoperation of the machine is more clearlyillustrated in Figs. 3 and 5, inwhich it will be seen that the lower edge of the knife 54 is at an angleto the plane of the fabric and that the fabric is carried against theknife 54,then held in stationary position, the lower end of the knife 54being within the space intermediate the fabric 12 and plate 53 and theupper end of the knife 54 beingabove the fabric 12 and in advance of thepoint of severance.

The rollers 36 37 exert a pressure against the fabric 12 and feed saidfabric against the knife 54, and said rollers 36 37 .willpreferably beoperated by power applied to the lower roller 36 through the medium ofthe belt 60 and belt-wheel 61, Fig. 2. The motion of the lower roller 36will be communicated to the upper roller 37 by means of the intermediategear-wheels 62 63, these rollers 36 37 having a uniform motion.Theshafts l5, receivingthe rolls 14 for the several widths of fabric,will also be driven by power, and to this end we provide pulley-wheels64 65 upon the ends of the said shafts to receive the usual belt 66. Thebelt 66will preferably be equipped with a belt-tightener 67, the latterbeing under the pressure exerted by the weight 68, as shown in Fig. 2. c

The shafts 15 are at one end mounted in the upper bifurcated ends of thestandards 69, Fig. 1, and at their other end the said shafts 15 aremounted within the swiveled bearings 70, which are securedin positionbetween the arms of the standards 71 by means of the horizontalpivot-screws 7 2, the latter permitting the tilting of thebearings andshafts l5 from a horizontal position, the purpose of this part of theconstruction being to enable the operator to elevate the shafts 15 fromthe standards 69 when it is desired to slip the rolls 14, containing thefabric, off from said shafts. The rolls 14 are detachable from theshafts 15, and when they have been filled with the several'widths of thefabric they will be slipped off from the shafts 15, and for this reasonand in orderto permit additional rolls 14 to be applied upon the shafts15 the said shafts are pivotally mounted at one end in the swiveledbearings 70. The belt-tightener. 67 acts to retain the belt 66 upon thewheels 64 65 during the tilting of the shafts 15 for the removal orreplacement of the rolls 14. The rolls 14 should freely slip upon andoff from the shafts 15; but when on the shafts 15 the said rolls mustrotate therewith, and hence, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, we providesleeves 73 upon the shafts 15 and apply to the end of the rolls 14 asmall pin 74, which will engage the upper surface of the plate 75,forming a part of said sleeves 73. The sleeves 73 may be adjusted to anyposition desired upon the shafts 15 and there secured by means of thethumb-screws 76. When the sleeves 73 are adjusted to their properposition upon the shafts 15, the rolls 14 will be moved up against them,with their pins 74 above the plates 75 of the said sleeves, the pins 74and plates 75 serving simply as means for connecting the shafts 15 androlls 14 together or compelling said rolls' to rotate with said shafts,said shafts receiving their motion, as above described, from the belt 66and then communicating their motion to the rolls 14, with the resultthat said rolls 14 will wind up the severalwidths of fabric fed rearwardby the rollers 36 and 37.

The operation of the machine hereinbefore described has been pointedoutin connection with the explanation of the structural features of themachine, and a further detailed descriptionof the operation is thereforeunnecessary. It may be briefly said, however, that the fabric 12 is fedover the front end of the machine, passing over the roller 13 andbetween the guides 18, whence passing below the pressure-roller 24 andupward and rearward between the rollers 36 37, whence the several widthsof fabric are wound upon the rolls 14. During the travel of the fabricbe tween the roller 24 and rollers 36 37 the knife 54 operates to slitthe fabric longitudinally, said knife remaining stationary and thefabric being carried against its cutting edge. The knife 54 will beadjusted upon its supporting-bar 56 in accordance with the widthsdesired for the slitted portions of the main fabric. Handkerchiefs aremade from blanks varying in width, say, from twelve inches to twenty-twoinches, and'hence in the slitting of the fabric 12 into widths suitablefor handkerchiefs the knife 54 should be adjusted to obtain a width orwidths of fabric ranging from twelve to twenty-two inches in extent.After the several widths of fabric have been formed by the machine madethe subject hereof the said widths are subjected to the furtheroperations necessary for the production therefrom of hemstitchedhandkerchiefs.

The machine illustrated has been designed more especially for use in theslitting of fabrics intended for employment in the manufacture ofhemstitched handkerchiefs, and

- the said machine has in use proven to be entirely efficient and ofgreat value. "We do not limit the invention, however, solely for use inthe manufacture of handkerchiefs, since the said'machine may be employedwith entire success in slitting fabrics for other arts. The machine asconstructed and illustrated smooths out all the creases or wrinkles inthe fabric, keeps the same under proper tension during the slittingoperation, and effectually severs the fabric into the several widths ontrue lines parallel with the length of the fabric.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In a machine for slitting a fabric into longitudinal widths, thesupporting-table, the feed-rollers 36, 37, for drawing the fabricthrough the machine, and a tension device for engaging and acting on theentire width of fabric and maintaining a tension on that portion of thefabric between it, said tension device, and said rollers, a free spacebeing provided beneath said portion of the fabric under tension,combined with the knife rigidly held in the path of said fabricintermediate said tension device and said rollers and adapted to engageand slit the fabric as the latter is moved onward against it;substantially as set forth.

2. In a machine for slitting a fabric into longitudinal widths, thesupporting-table, the feed-rollers 36, 37, for drawing the fabricthrough the machine, and atension device for acting upon the entirewidth of fabric and maintaining a tension on that portion of the fabricbetween it, said tension device, and said rollers, said fabric passingat an angle from said tension device to said rollers with a free spaceprovided beneath the same, combined with a knife rigidly held in thepath of said fabric and at an angle thereto intermediate said tensiondevice and said rollers and adapted to engage and slit the fabric as thelatter is moved onward against it; substantially as set forth.

3. In a machine for slitting a fabric into longitudinal widths, thesupporting-table, the feed-rollers 36, 37, for drawing the fabricthrough the machine, and a tension device for engaging and acting on theentire width of fabric and maintaining a tension on that portion of thefabric between it, said tension device, and said rollers, a free spacebeing provided beneath said portion of the fabric under tension,combined with the knife rigidly held in the path of said fabricintermediate said tension device and said rollers and adapted to engageand slit the fabric as the latter is moved onward against it, thetransverse bar 56 from which said knife is supported, and means forsecuring said knife in predetermined positions along said bar inaccordance with the widths of fabric to be formed; substantially as setforth.

4. In a machine for slitting a fabric into longitudinal widths, thesupporting-table, the feed-rollers 36, 37, for drawing the fabricthrough the machine, and a tension device for engaging and acting on theentire width of fabric and maintaining a tension on that portion of thefabric between it, said tension device, and said rollers, a free spacebeing provided beneath said portion of the fabric under tension,combined with the knife rigidly held in the path of said fabricintermediate said tension device and said rollers and adapted to engageand slit the fabric as the latter is moved onward against it, the rollto receive and wind up the severed width of fabric, the shaft upon whichsaid roll is detachably mounted, means for rotating said shaft and roll,the swiveled bearing in which one end of said shaft is mounted, and abearing for detachablyholding the other end of said shaft; substantiallyas set forth.

5. In a machine for slitting a fabric into longitudinal widths, thetension device for acting on the fabric while the latter is fed throughthe machine, and the feed-rollers 36, 37, to which the fabric passesafter leaving the said tension device, combined with the knife adaptedto engage and slit the traveling fabric into widths, and the means forraising and permitting the lowering of said roller 37, said meanscomprising the wedge-bars adapted to engage the shaft portions of thesaid roller, and the lever mechanism for operthrough the machine, andthe feed-rollers 36,

37, to which the fabric passes after leaving the said tension device,combined with the knife adapted to engage and slit the traveling fabricinto widths, and the means for elevating and permitting the lowering ofsaid roller 37, said means comprising the leverarms disposed below theends of the shaft for said roller 37, the wedge-bars below and adaptedto engage said lever-arms, and the pivoted and laterally-movable framefor engaging and operating said wedge-arms; substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county and State of NewYork, this 27th day ofJune, 1901.

WILLIAM B. CONRAD. JAMES A. CAMERON.

Witnesses:

W. H. LOOKWOOD, GEORGE L. DOTY.

